What does unremittingly mean?
Unremittingly means in a way that continues steadily and without pause, relief, or significant interruption. It is the adverb form of unremitting and is commonly used to emphasize persistence: rain may fall unremittingly, a task may demand unremittingly careful attention, or a person may work unremittingly toward a goal. Its force comes from the combination of the negative prefix un-, meaning “not,” and remitting, which originally referred to sending or sending back. As a result, the word often suggests an unbroken and sometimes relentless experience. Although it frequently has a burdensome or negative connotation, it can also express admirable sustained devotion, optimism, or good humor. The adverb is used in formal and literary English in both British and American varieties and is especially effective when the duration of an action deserves particular emphasis.
adverbIn a persistent and unceasing manner, especially with little or no interruption, relief, or decline.
- Continuing persistently and without interruption or relief.
"Despite the relentless storm, she continued unremittingly toward the shelter."
"The rain continued unremittingly throughout the night."
"He worked unremittingly to improve the service his customers received."
From the Latin root for “sending back,” “unremittingly” transformed “remit” into a vivid description of persistence that allows no relief.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unremittingly come from?
Unremittingly was formed by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to unremitting, a word built from un- and the present participle of remit. Remit comes from Latin remittere, “to send back,” from re-, meaning “back,” and mittere, “to send.” In English, remit developed meanings involving sending money, forgiving a fault, or referring a matter to another authority, while unremitting came to describe something that does not pause or relent.
Related word forms
How unremittingly is actually used
This is a formal or literary adverb with an emphatic tone. It is often used of effort, pressure, pain, weather, or other conditions that persist continuously, though it can also describe an admirable sustained quality such as cheerfulness or dedication.
Easily confused with unremittingly
“Unremitting” is an adjective describing something that continues without pause, while “unremittingly” is the adverb describing how an action continues.